Kinderhotels (Family-friendly hotels)
February 16th, 2007 by 
Deanne
Kinderhotels are a group of hotels and mountain resorts in the German, Austrian, and Italian alps. They are not a chain. Rather, they are a group of independently owned and managed hotels with common standards and amenities. Their primary purpose is to provide a family-friendly environment, in a beautiful setting, while creating an optimal vacation experience for parents and children. Up to 60 hours of child care per week is included in the price of lodging. Most hotels have spectacular indoor and outdoor playgrounds that appeal to a wide range of ages and are multi-seasonal. Swimming pools, saunas, and health and wellness facilities are availalbe in many of the kinderhotels. Most meals are included in the price. Some hotels offer an all-inclusive option that covers all meals, plus snacks. When you arrive in the dining room, you will find everything you need set up at your table, from high chairs, to children’t cutlery, to crayons and activity books. Since you are dining in a room full of other families with children, you don’t have to worry about the noise level or table manners of your little tykes. Everyone understands! Your hotel room will also be set up with ages and needs of your children in mind, including diaper pails, stepping stools for small children, and baby monitors. Check out the website to find individual hotels in the area in which you are interested. The website also provides information on pricing and amenities specific to each hotel.
If you have stayed at a kinderhotel and would like to provide a review, please provide a brief summary of the hotel and your experience in the comment section and we will post it for you.
Website: http://www.kinderhotels.co.uk/
Posted in Hotels | 
February 27th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
There is another set of family-centered hotels and vacations offered by a company called KUF-Reisen. Their 2007 catalogue features vacation spots in Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Italy, Croatian, Turkey, Mallorca, the Canary Islands, and Greece. From a first glance at the catalogue, the prices appear to be cheaper than those offered by the Kinderhotels group. There is great variation in prices depending on the host country. Switzerland is much more expensive than Hungary, for example. Another reason for the overall reduction in cost appears to be that many of the packages are not all-inclusive. Many of the living arrangements are mini-apartments with full kitchens so that families can prepare their own meals and save some money, if not time.
Website: http://www.kuf-reisen.de